Turmeric Curry Recipe

 

Curry is a dish that is popular all around the world, but its origin date back to India. Anthropologists analyzing 4,000 year old human remains in ancient Indian valleys found cooked remains of ginger and turmeric, two popular ingredients in curry, in starch grains stuck in the teeth of human remains and nearby cooking pots.

Great Britain is credited for popularizing curry after bringing the recipe back to Europe in the 1700s. Today, it is estimated that more than 23 million people cook with curry each day. What’s interesting is that the ingredients used in each recipe have evolved with different cultures. That leads to a lot of variety and experimentation with different ingredients. But despite any differences, most of these dishes will call for turmeric as a primary ingredient.

In America and some other parts of the world, you might know turmeric best as a main ingredient in golden milk. While one of the more popular recipes for turmeric, there are many other uses, but this article will focus on making curry. Read on to learn everything you need to make a tasty curry dish.

Make Your Own Curry Dish

 

If you’ve had curry at a restaurant, it might have been made in the kitchen or come prepackaged. Many grocery stores sell curry as a paste and only require that you add water.

But buying prepared curry doesn’t let your experience the work that ancient cultures went through to prepare the dish.

So we’ve rounded up a few easy to follow recipes that will help get you started on making a curry sauce all your own. Feel free to modify any recipe with spices and foods from your region.

Basic Recipe

 

If you’ve never made curry before, start with this basic recipe that introduces you to a British style of curry.

What You’ll Need:

  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 onion grated large
  • 2 tsp garlic finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp ginger finely chopped
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1-½ tsp cumin
  • ½ tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • ½ tsp curry powder
  • Pinch red pepper flakes
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp all purpose flour
  • 1-½ cups water
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
 

How You’ll Make It

  1. Simmer the vegetable oil over medium-high heat.
  2. Add onion, garlic, and ginger and stir for 5 minutes
  3. Add cumin, turmeric, coriander, paprika, curry, and red pepper for 6 minutes
  4. Reduce heat to medium and stir in tomato paste until it begins to reduce.
  5. Add flour and mix until smooth.
  6. Add the water and lemon juice and stir until mixture reaches a thick consistency.
  7. (Optional) Puree in a blender and strain through a mesh strainer.
  8. Season with salt and pepper.
 

Interested in trying a different take on the basic curry recipe? This one uses cinnamon, peanut oil, and a few other surprises that you might love or hate. You’ll just have to try it and see for yourself.

Coconut Curry

 

This coconut curry recipe shows you how you can play with the basic curry recipe to get something new but overall familiar.

What You’ll Need:

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp crushed red pepper
  • Zest of lemon
  • 1-½ minced garlic
  • 1-½ tbsp curry powder
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1-¼ cups light coconut milk
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ cup chopped basil leaf
 

How You’ll Make It:

  1. In a small bowl combine the coconut milk, soy sauce, sugar, and salt.
  2. Heat wok over medium-high heat and add olive oil, then heat for 30 seconds.
  3. Add red pepper flakes, zest, garlic, turmeric, and curry to wok and stir-fry until fragrant.
  4. Add mixture from bowl to wok and bring to a boil.
  5. Cook until sauce thickens, add basil, then serve.
 

People use turmeric in all sorts of recipes, they take it in supplement form, and even give it to their pets. Try turmeric for yourself and see if it helps you fall in love all over again with your favorite dishes.